Here’s Wes Driver, checking his voicemail after landing in Santiago. Back in November 2007, ONE flew to Chile to be a part of the Sudamericano Extremo contest. Besides getting a chance to check out a new event and cast of characters from all over Latin America, we knew Carlos Pianowski would be there, so we looked forward to shooting with him. As it turned out, we met a whole grip of bladers and great people who showed us unrivaled hospitality. Not only was the event cool, but the peripheral experience was an adventure. For a look at some memorable moments, check out the pics inside.

Almost all the athletes in town for the event were staying at our hotel. That’s how we met Gabriela and Ernesto, two skaters from Venezuela, hanging out here with Marco Charneski from Brazil. I believe this picture was taken just before venturing out into the night in search of a bar. We ended up finding a bunch.

A day later we met Christian Barrera and Sandro “Lilly” Timoteo, the two guys to the right of Guillermo Teran. Better known as “Memo,” Guillermo is the man responsible for getting us hooked up with this trip to South America. Lilly is a great skater from Peru almost everyone has seen on the cover of Daily Bread and Be-mag, and Christian is a photographer.

We assume you know who this guy is. This pic was taken just before we headed out to the last minute mission that you’ll be reading about next issue. Carlos is a rad, multi-dimensional guy, with a lot more to him than the skater-with-a-death-wish image he’s cultivated. Hanging out with him is for sure a good time.

Oh shit, this is Marco “Montana” Charneski, Carlos’ de facto sidekick and personal photographer. When not shredding on his blades or getting pics of his buddy, Marco is a lens for hire to a newspaper in his city. And he’s a wildman.

Christian not only treated us to an unbelievable party spread at his birthday cookout, but he insisted on having all the skaters over to his apartment the night before we all left so everyone could kick it one last time. Here we’ve got Christian, Ernesto, Leo (local legend), and Ricardo from Paraguay.

Say hello to Alex from Argentina, or as I liked to call him, Sideshow Bob. He’s tall, super skinny, and with that big mop of curls. All he needs to finish off the transformation is a slide whistle and some big clown shoes. Here he flashes a little “Blue Steel” for the camera.

This is the official sauce of Chile. It’s called pisco, and it’s made from the leftover byproducts of winemaking. It comes in varying proofs, and sometimes pre-mixed with fruit juice. This shit is dangerous.

Like we said, Pisco is dangerous. It made Ricardo decide to let everyone draw all over his face.

Gabriella followed suit, only she just let people draw anywhere.

I figured out how these guys get their blade gear. That is to say, I found this Aggressive Mall box.

Santiago, like most places, has a mix of the super poor and the super rich. For the later, there is the Mall Sport, a giant, state-of-the-art shopping complex housing only sports or sport-related retailers. It’s huge—as big as a regular mall in the U.S. Inside it has a climbing wall, outside it has a surfing flow tube, and tucked back in a space you’d be hard pressed to find, a skatepark! This tiny but well-maintained facility is the definition of making a lot out of a little.

Like most trips, our ten days was up before we knew it. Before taking us to the airport, Pedro Celis, our “official” guide through the city, took us up onto one of the posh hillsides overlooking the valley that surrounds the city. Although it was a hazy day, as most are thanks to wind patterns and pollution, you can clearly see that Santiago offers a vivid landscape.

So that’s it. Look for a lot more on what’s going on or went down in Chile when you cop the next issue of ONE.